Recovery
by Blondie B. Happy
Summary: One thing harder than recovering from a fight is recovering from a broken heart. Mako would give his life to help a friend. But whenever he tried to, it was already too late. Post 'Out of the Past'.


**This is a one-shot. Warning: Cliche at parts, Makorra, potential Bosami, probably mixed up past/present tense here and there, first story for Legend of Korra, takes place right after epsiode 9, Out of the Past.**

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The Avatar lies in her bed, eyes closed, arms crossed over her chest. Her brown hair is matted with sweat even though her skin is ice cold. She coughs, jerks her head, but does not speak. She has not spoken for 37 hours.

Mako still grips Korra's hand, afraid of what might happen if and when he lets go. What if she goes? He refuses to leave, refuses to eat. He repeatedly checks her temperature, wipes away sweat from her forehead, checks her pulse to make sure she is alive. He can't afford to lose her. Not after all they have been through.

The room he is in is plain white. The sheets are white, the pillows are white, the walls are white. It could not be more boring. Mako still wears his normal get up, but, for once, he has taken off his father' scarf. The scarf is on the white nightstand next to the bed. One splash of red against the white, like one drop of blood.

When they had found Korra, she had been covered in those drops of blood. As Mako had carried Korra to the sky bison, his hands had been stained red. Yet he still had caressed Korra's cheek as he watched he fall asleep. He had known the others were staring at him. He had felt Asami's eyes boring into the back of his head, but none of that mattered. She had returned to them.

Mako would give his life to help a friend. But whenever he tried to, it was already too late.

The doors opens. Mako adverts his eyes from Korra for one second, long enough to register that Tenzin has his family have entered the room. He expects the three children to run up to Korra, but they stay put, staring at her lifeless body. Her chest rises and falls with perfect rhythm, so she seems to be sleeping. But her eyes twitch as though she is having a nightmare.

Meelo drifts over, his big eyes full of worry. "Is she alive?" he breathes. Mako nods once, tracing his thumb idly over Korra's hand.

Soon, Ikki and Jinora both come over too. Pema is crying softly, one hand over her swollen stomach. Tenzin has an arm wrapped around her shoulders. They walk forward to stand at the foot of the sick bed. No one speaks, they only stare. Mako wishes they would just give her space. He asked that once already, right when they had found her. But this time, he says nothing.

Sometime later, the family of five, soon to be six, leaves the room. Mako leans back in his chair and brings Korra's hand to his lips. This can't be cheating, right? No, Asami should understand. Korra is their friend. Even though Mako thinks of her as more than a friend…

But he also likes Asami. They have been dating for a while now, and he is convinced that Asami loves him. He is still trying to convince himself that he too loves her back.

But he cannot think about her when he is with Korra. She draws his attention and does not let it go. The way she can bend the elements, fire, earth, water, yet still struggles with air. Her devotion to the world, the city, here friends, was astonishing.

He sees the way Asami looks at Korra, with envy and sometimes disgust, even though they are friends. To think that it is all about him… wow.

Finally, Mako stands up. He nearly falls to the ground. His body is weak from lack of rest and food. His knees are wobbly. He manages to get to the window but has to grip the sill so he does not fall. He stares outside.

Republic City is in chaos. As snow falls, battle surrounds them. Mako is glad that he is on an island, away from the mainland. City Hall is in flames. The fire licks at the cold air and spreads down the streets. Normally, Mako embraces the sight of fire, for he can bend it, but this fire is full of evil death wishes.

The Prison is surrounded by protesters. A flag has the insignia of the Equalists on the center of it. Another flag shows Amon on it. One of the statues of Chief Toph falls before his eyes and crumbles into pieces of stone.

And the Pro-Bending Arena… Mako has a clear view of what it has become. The windows are smashed and the ceiling is caved in. Mako guesses that this is now the torture chamber for the Equalists. He listens to screams and watches lightning arc out of the building. The building that had been his home for so long.

There is a sigh behind Mako, he quickly turns around to find Lin Beifong also staring outside. She looks at Korra. "How is she?"

Mako shrugs. "Hasn't done anything yet."

Lin is now next to him with a hand on his shoulder. "She will be fine. I am sure of it."

He is ready to ask her, How can you be sure? but then thinks better of it. Is does not wish to know. His silence gives Lin the chance to move on.

"I'd never thought that I'd see my mother's prison come to this. Avatar Aang did not want his city to come to this. This city was supposed to be a safe haven, a place where everyone of all nationalities could get along in peace. Now, it has come to this. Which is ironic, considering how many non-benders were friends with him. Even his brother-in-law, Sokka, was a non-bender. Aang's son, Bumi, was a non-bender."

"I know." Mako is getting impatient. He does not want to hear all of this. He wants to be left alone. But it is amazing. The city had always been so peaceful. Things had only just started to go down right before Korra had arrived.

"I'll leave you," says Beifong, and she turns around and leaves.

Mako returns to his chair and places his hand on Korra's cheek, tracing his fingers over her cheekbone, her forehead, her chin, her lips. And another person walks through the door.

It is Asami.

"You should get something to eat and clean yourself up." She says her words with venom. She does not ask about Korra's well-being, just stalks out of the room. Mako has no choice but to follow her.

"Asami, wait!" he calls to her. She ignores him and continues walking away. She glances over her shoulder and sees that he is still following her. Suddenly, she goes into a room at the end of the hallway and slams the door behind her.

"Asami," he whispers, and looks behind him. No one else is near them. He realizes that he has left Korra all by herself. What if something happens? He pushes the thought from his mind, which requires a lot of effort. He slides the door open, steps into the room, and shuts it behind him.

Automatically, he is attacked by a pair of lips. They are Asami's. She is kissing him with great passion, trying to capture his heart, making him her prey. He is against the wall now. Her fingers are in his hair, and his hands are around her small waist.

He tries to kiss her back, but he cannot make himself. Instead, a very embarrassing moan escapes his lips, and it drives Asami crazy. She sucks on his bottom lip, and he trapped. She is sliding her head this way and that, attempting to get closer, but there is no closer. They are pressed together, no room at all. No time to breathe, no room around them. Only him and her.

And Korra… only a few rooms over.

With a loud gasp, he disengages himself from her, pushing her away softly. They are both breathing heavy, and they both look disheveled. Asami starts to cry, silent tears streaking her face. Mako tries to move forward, maybe to console her, he is not sure, but she moves away quickly. "Don't," she stutters. "Just don't."

Mako does not know what to tell her. He stares at his feet, stares at the wall, stares anywhere but at his girlfriends face. All is silent. Maybe Asami is waiting for him to say something, reassure her somehow that everything is going to be alright. But he has no way of telling her that. If he tells her that, he is telling her a lie.

Mako is done with hurting people. He is done with hurting himself, hurting others. He'd rather help others now, and have others help him. He needs to recover, but Asami is not the right person to help him with that.

Mako slumps against the wall, banging his head, not really caring. He looks up, and Asami Sato has stopped crying. She has a small smile on her face. "I know," she breathes. "I understand ."

"You do?"

"Of course I do. You love her." She says it with complete confidence. Mako finally believes it. He did not believe it until someone told him.

"I do," he confirms. Asami walks forward and takes his hand. She pulls him to his feet and grasps him in a hug. He buries his face in her long black hair, closing his eyes. Even though she comfort him, she cannot help him recover. She cannot help him work towards his own future.

"Mako, you need to recuperate. I know you still haven't from everything that has happened in your life. I know that I am not the right person to help you through this. Korra is." She pulls back and brushes a strand of hair off of his forehead. "You really do love her. Go to her. She needs you as much as you need her."

Mako nods his head. Asami kisses him on the cheek quickly, but this is a sisterly kiss, a caring one. "Just know that I will always be here for you, no matter what."

He smiles at this and steps back, making way for the door. Once he reaches it, he turns around. Asami is not looking at him. She is staring out of the window, at the havoc. She also needs to recover, but Mako is not the person to assist her with that. He leaves her.

In the hallway, Bolin paces restlessly. Pabu lies across his broad shoulders, clearly asleep. From here, Mako can see Korra's polar bear dog, Naga, walking in circles outside, wishing for Korra to come out and play. Bolin jumps when he sees his older brother. "What were you doing in there?" he inquires.

Mako shakes his head. He has no answer to this question. Bolin can see that he'd rather not talk about. "How's Korra?"

"The same," Mako says plainly.

"Hm," mumbles Bolin, and begins pacing again. But Mako has his own questions for him. "Have you recovered?"

This takes Bolin by surprise. "What do you mean?"

"You know, have you recovered? From Mom and Dad's death? From being captured by the chi-blockers? From watching me and Korra… you know?"

He shrugs helplessly. "I'm not sure. I guess not."

"Well, maybe it is time you tried." Mako jerks his head towards the room containing Asami. "We all need to. Go in there, maybe you two can help each other." Without waiting for a response, Mako leaves and rejoins Korra in her room.

He is once again sitting beside her, the girl he knows he loves, holding her hand. He squeezes once, and, like a miracle, his hand is squeezed back.

Relief floods through him. Korra's eyes open slowly, but then she sits straight up in the air, a wild look in her eyes. She sees Mako, and then there is relief in her eyes too. "Oh, Mako, you're here. We have to hurry. Amon was there and Tarrlok is Yakone's son and-"

Mako kisses her.

This is better than when she kissed him, back at the Pro-Bending Arena. This kiss is feather soft and very light, quick but full of meaning. He pulls back and looks into her blue orbs. She stares back at him. Then she gives him a grin and falls back onto the bed with a loud thump! Her eyes are closed and Mako soon realizes that she has fallen asleep here, in his arms.

Mako knows that she has not fully recovered, but recovery will be possible for them both. They will help each other. Maybe, this time he is not too late.

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